Having a mental breakdown, or watching someone have a mental breakdown is unparalleled. You need to learn what to expect in order to ease the situation in these difficult times.

So, you or someone you know is having a breakdown. Who can you call? – Whether you need advice, or just an ear to talk to there are several charities readily available. Firstly, Samaritans’ free helpline (116 123) is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Secondly, there is the Mind Infoline (0300 1233393), this service is only available 9-6 Monday to Friday, they provide a range of topics which you can talk about in depth. Thirdly, there is the CALM(0800 585858) help line, which is readily available especially for men from 5pm to midnight 7 days a week.Read More

Sports Massage Therapy is described as an alternative remedial technique to solve or improve a problem which an individual has. This essentially means that there has been no studies completed solely on if a massage would help or cause problems to a pregnant individual. With this is mind, we did bit of research to see what professional massage therapists thought on the idea, and in particular analysing a deep tissue massage!

Massage Therapists perform deep tissue massages in an attempt to reach the underlying muscles, they do warn that the effects can be felt for multiple days after the massage has taken place. This also includes pressure points in an attempt to trigger deeper muscles in certain areas.Read More

Have you ever just sat and wondered what alcohol does to your body or how it impacts those gains you so desperately want? Giving up booze for a few weeks can be a challenge to many, but if done correctly you can reap the benefits.

If you can manage just a few weeks without sleep, here’s what you can expect:

Better Sleep

According to a study, drinking alcohol before bed increase alpha brain waves. Now although you may fall asleep easier while drinking, these brain waves are most at use while you’re awake. So, effectively although your asleep the quality of the sleep isn’t very good at all. By avoiding alcohol for a short time, your concentration and performance will increase because your sleep has a better quality.Read More

For some doing a half a marathon is the peak of their physical endurance, for others completing the 26.2 miles of the London Marathon is an unbelievable achievement. For the rest, this simply doesn’t even scratch the surface compared to a ultramarathon. The Barkley Marathons has had only 15 people finish this race since it began in 1986, with over 1000 people taking part in it.

It’s not often when applying for a marathon in which you sign a legal disclaimer which reads ‘ If I am stupid enough to attempt the Barkley, I deserve to be held responsible for any result of that attempt, be it financial, physical, mental, or anything else.’ That’s how intense we’re talking when referring to the Barkley Marathons.Read More

Did you know that over a quarter of all adults in the UK are obese? There are multiple factors which all correlate to obesity both in the UK and around the world. The following factors have their own effect on increasing calorie intake and/or reducing activity levels.

Let’s begin by looking at sociocultural factors. These include:

– Lack of education

– Social pressures to eat and drink

– Advertising and media exposure pressure.

All these factors are essentially out of our control as we can’t affect and decide what our friends and family eat or drink, yet neither do we have a say in what products are being promoted on a regular basis. However, with determination we are able to educate ourselves on what foods we are eating and what we could be doing better to either reduce our weight or ensure we don’t end up obese.Read More

For years we have believed that the amount of sweat produced during our workout, was a sign of how hard we’ve worked. That’s now not entirely true.

Indeed we have all regarded the sweatiness of our sessions as a result of how hard we’ve worked, as we lay there at the end of our workout in a puddle of burpee sweat. However, it turns out that it’s not actually 100% true and there isn’t always a correlation between sweat and effort. For a certain type of gym-goer, the sweat patches are worn like a medal, for another the sweat patches provide embarrassment as it gives the sense that those fitness levels aren’t quite what they used to be.Read More

Firstly we are going to look at what Oestrogen is. Oestrogen is a hormone that is primarily produced in the ovaries for women and also a small amount in the testes, fat and adrenal glands in men. In women, oestrogen is the primary sex hormone that plays a role in regulating the menstrual cycle, aiding pregnancy and also maintaining bone strength and controlling cholesterol levels. Oestrogen levels are affected heavily according to where you are in your menstrual cycle, being the lowest during your period and at the highest during the middle of your cycle.Read More

You don’t have to imagine it anymore! The “Sweatcoin” app has come under scrutiny in recent weeks and months however we’ve decided to give it a review and make it easier for you whether it’s worthwhile downloading!

The UK is currently in the middle of an obesity epidemic, with WHO (2014) reporting that over 62% of the population is overweight or obese. Since health and wellness is a regular New Year’s Resolution for many, having that financial incentive may be the push we need to continue those resolutions.Read More

Being pregnant can be a heavily stressful period in life, but did you know there is in fact foods which you should be avoiding while pregnant as they could potentially harm you and your baby?

Below is a list of foods which leading health care professionals say you should avoid and reasons why, some of them even shocked us!

Soft Cheese with White Rinds (Brie, Camembert)

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Soft blue-veined cheeses (Danish Blue, Gorgonzola, Roquefort)–Less acidic then hard cheeses and they contain more moisture. This is an ideal environment for harmful bacteria such as listeria to grow in.Read More

The advanced learner loan gives individuals access to financial support for tuition costs similar to that which is available for University students administered by Student Finance England.

The advanced learner loan is in place to help adults continue their learning with approved education and skills agencies throughout the UK. The loan essentially covers the cost of the selected course allowing you to learn, and not pay a single penny back until you’re earning over £25,000 a year!Read More